Workday: Quiet, please! What annoys people in the office
Hell is other people. That's what the French writer and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre wrote. With a glance at dear colleagues, many office workers may think similarly.
A study conducted by YouGov on behalf of Logitech reveals that a significant majority of German office workers crave quiet environments, with 95% deeming a calm workspace very or somewhat important. The majority of disturbances come from colleagues, with 53% citing calls and conversations, 47% mentioning video meetings without headphones, and 41% pointing to background noises like ventilation, printers, or coffee machines.
Keyboard clicks and mouse clicks rank low, affecting only 7% and 4% of respondents, respectively. Seventy percent of participants admitted that noise in the office hampers their focus. Despite this, only 41% believe that office environments are becoming more attuned to the need for silence. However, 51% of those surveyed feel they are more committed to being considerate.
Logitech's Germany head, Serkan Ates, points out that increased awareness of the need for quiet does not mean people want less interaction, but rather that communication in the office needs to be more organized. He emphasizes that many work routines have changed, but rules for coexistence in the office have not kept pace. Specifically, there is a need for clarity regarding what is acceptable during calls, spontaneous conversations, and hybrid meetings.
Ultimately, it is through consideration that we determine whether people can maintain focus in their daily work.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
